MONDAY MUSINGS

by Holly Horning

Throughout the week, there are so many smaller stories hitting the media.  They may be bite-size, but often they are just as important as the headline-grabbing news.  Sometimes, even more.

And that’s what brings me to today.  A way to discuss some of these stories. A way to bring them out in the open for discussion.

And that’s the plan for Mondays.  Keeping track of these mighty little bits that hit my radar throughout the week and sharing them with you today because I know one or more will also resonate with you. So, let’s kick off this week’s musings…

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Who wasn’t shocked with the signing of Carlos Correa by the Minnesota Twins?  Not just because it’s the Twins but since when does the last-place team in the AL Central (and third worst in the AL) make a move that is more indicative of a team that is ready to play October baseball?

Or was this more about the desperation in finding a home for Correa and not lose face?

The signs were already there.  Correa is on his third agent in just over a year.  And obviously, not having signed until now meant that any offers for him were nowhere near what he and agent Scott Boras wanted.

Maybe that’s the main reason why Correa kept jumping from agent to agent. Unrealistic expectations.

Essentially, the desired 10-year contract was broken down into a third of the desired range.  One-third the money, one-third the length.  But an opt out after each year so potentially Correa can test the market again at the end of 2022.  But it comes at a huge risk if he doesn’t have a great year or he misses time on the IL once again.

The most interesting part of this deal has to do with Boras, not Correa.  If a long-term deal was landed, Correa’s former agent would have received the majority of commission.  But a short-term deal would net Boras the entire sum.  Hmmm…..

But what’s the biggest point we can pull out of this?

It makes Chris Ilitch look smart for putting the brakes on how much money ($275 mill) and years the Tigers offered Correa.  And potentially, the team may have dodged a bullet.

But was it a serious offer or simply a move to show the world that you made an effort?  Perception is reality. 

Sometimes, the smartest move is only partially intentional.  A move that you know will be turned down but will also deflect all criticism of ownership.

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Speaking of trades, is anyone surprised that Dave Dombrowski signed Nick Castellanos to a 5-year $100 million contract?  Afterall, Dave drafted him and both were with the Tigers at the same time.

It’s the second-largest contract ever given to an outfielder in Philly, whom Dave then immediately turned into a DH.  Nick now is part of what the media is calling the “all-DH team” as 1 of 5 players who are slow, defensively-challenged and primarily best serve as DHs. 

This move takes Philly over the luxury tax for the first time in their franchise history.  Just for 2 players, both primarily DHs, Dombrowski spent $179 million.  And currently, their payroll sits at $240 million.

When all is said and done, the Phillies may have the second highest payroll in MLB.  Dombrowski tripled it in just 15 months.

But baseball experts are particularly harsh about these moves.  One called it “a middle finger to traditional roster building.”  Another said “The defense is going to be bad. Really bad. It’ll be the source of jokes and frustration and long nights. It will make some pitchers look worse than they are. If the Phillies can average more than five runs scored per game, something they have not done in a full season since 2009, it might just be something everyone laughs about. Maybe.”

Others joked about sending sympathy cards to the team’s defensive coordinator.  They referred to the team’s ability to field the ball as a “Frankenstein defense.”

So why do I mention this?  Why are we still talking about the Tigers’ former GM?

It’s all part of the lesson about what went wrong with the team when he was GM in Detroit.  All the tremendous talent (esp. pitchers) that was done in by too many slow, badly-fielding players in October.  You have to be able to look back and see what didn’t work and what shouldn’t be repeated.

Lessons need to be learned.  And in order to do that, you have to understand the moves that were made in the past.

It also serves as a nice comparison about what the Tigers are doing now in order to achieve that ultimate goal. And if the Tigers manage to achieve what Dombrowski was unable to do, it will become the new roadmap to winning.

It also shows that Dombrowski doesn’t stay up with the times and trends.  He’s got an m.o. that he has used with every team – the Marlins, Tigers, Red Sox and now the Phillies.  Once again, he’s running up the payroll to dangerous levels and one day, there will be a reckoning.

It’s just surprising that the Phillies are willing to go through this eventual nightmare all over again.  They just spent 8 years tearing down after payroll skyrocketed and players got older and couldn’t be unloaded.

And given the smarter signings made by the Tigers, it appears that at least they learned an important lesson about how to build a roster.

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Al Avila seems to have spent the lockdown getting some media coaching.  He no longer has diarrhea of the mouth as he give away every single bit of information to other teams in baseball and insults players along the way.

He’s much more diplomatic and is no longer showing his hand.  Case in point is when he addressed the issue of trade talks with other teams about acquiring a starting pitcher.  He said “I don’t want to get into the particulars of those conversations. But usually when it doesn’t fall into place, it’s usually because you’re not willing to put forth as much as what was being asked.”

And he’s learned to emphasize points and messages the team wants to downplay.  Over 3 days of interviews, Al relentlessly talked about the organization having no payroll limit.  How he was given the green light to spent what was needed.  Obviously to answer the recent big stories and fan backlash about how Chris Ilitch nixed the Correa deal.

However, the biggest story to come from him?  It’s what Avila didn’t say.

In mentioning that the Tigers were finished signing players, Al no longer stated that the team was looking for another outfielder.  Maybe what we can surmise from this is that the organization is hoping that Riley Greene makes the Opening Day roster.  He seems to be ready – or pretty darn close to it.

But the real push for adding Greene may be the new Player Promotion Initiative (PPI) that came out of the new CBA.  If the Tigers add rookies to their Opening Day roster, they get additional draft picks.

Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?

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• A top Tigers prospect, stalled within the organization, hires his own coach and moves forward.

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